“You better explain yourself very carefully, Young Man,” Mom said in her serious voice.
“Tami’s a seventeen-year-old girl. She has zero life experience, and I thought you two were just friends. I would expect you to have talked to Mrs. A. That would make perfect sense. I’m your son, and you didn’t want to talk to me about my half brother.
“The other issue is I went to Uncle John’s for a reason. I didn’t want to be found by Alan or Tami. It seems it only took one phone call for you to rat me out.
“Both issues come back to the same key question: who do you want to be in your life for the long haul?” I asked.
“David, I expect you will both be in my life for the long haul.”
“Let me be clear: while I love Tami, I am not in love with her, and can’t foresee any scenario where that’ll happen. What I learned this weekend is that what I thought was family business really isn’t. I understand why Uncle John felt he had to tell Dad everything I’d discussed with him. I also understand why Dad told you. What I don’t understand is why you chose to tell Tami, who then felt comfortable enough to bring it up with me.
“Let me tell you, I was more than a little surprised. I’ve had some serious trust issues related to her. It never occurred to me to keep secrets from either of you. However, because I now know that you’ll run to Tami about it, there are now some things I’ll not tell anyone. That includes you, Dad.
“We’ve talked about this in the past, but this goes beyond that. What should have been a family matter is now out there, because Tami knows. Think of the damage that could be done by her making an innocent comment and it getting back to Phil,” I said.
“Are you saying you don’t trust Tami to keep a confidence?” Dad asked.
“That’s not really the point. The point is that you don’t take me into account when you decide what to share. Sending Tami to Uncle John’s was a fundamental breach of trust.”
“David, you need to realize that sometimes I will do things because I know what’s best for you,” Mom said.
“Fair enough.”
Both Mom and Dad had to recognize that I wasn’t happy. I also knew my mother didn’t take this seriously by the way she reacted. I could hardly wait for round two.
◊◊◊
As I was going to bed, my phone rang. It was Alan. I rejected his call.
◊◊◊ Tuesday September 8
When I got to school, everyone was buzzing. Friday would be our first game. We were playing Washington, Ty’s old school. When I saw him in the halls, there was a visible extra bounce in his step. I smiled when Tracy and Pam rushed up to me.
“David, you have to see this,” Tracy blurted out before we could even say hi.
It had to be good because Pam was about to bounce out of her skin. Tracy had a video on her phone that had both of them excited, and I suddenly became nervous about what they had to show me. Tracy gave me a hip-bump, and I relaxed.
“Washington had a booster fundraiser Monday night. Coach Crouch had some choice words about Lincoln. He talked about you and Ty. You have to hear what he said,” Tracy said and then hit the play button.
I watched the video that must have been taken on someone’s cell phone. I smiled when Washington’s coach started a rant on Lincoln and how they were going to beat us this week. After listening to it, I knew that Coach Crouch had no idea that he was being recorded. I suddenly had a great idea.
“Who’s seen this?” I asked.
“Just my dad and the three of us. Why?” Tracy asked.
“Where did you get it?” I asked.
“One of the lawyers at Dad’s office was there, and his wife recorded it. What are you planning?” Tracy asked.
I gave them an outline of an idea and my two evil girlfriends got excited. I put them in charge of it and knew they would come up with something good. Coach Crouch would regret shooting his mouth off if I had anything to do with it. Wait a minute. I would have something to do with it!
◊◊◊
I found a new use for my smart watch. We had a quiz today, and I felt it vibrate on my wrist. I looked down, and there was a message from Tracy.
#2?
I sent back the correct multiple-choice answer.
A
This was so bad. I figured it would only be a matter of time before the teachers figured out we could send messages via our watches. My watch vibrated again, and she had sent me a little heart. I almost gave us away when I scoffed and looked at her. That got a glare from our teacher, so I turned back to my desk and finished my quiz.
I’d been playing with my toy, and it was like my new phone in that I could receive and send text messages and even ask questions of the intelligent assistant. I found I preferred to listen to music and take phone calls on my phone, but I was able to check who calls were from just by glancing at my watch. That saved me from having to pull my phone out if I didn’t want to talk to them. I could simply decline it on my watch.
I wondered how long it would be before I’d be able to wear something similar during a football game. It would be a great way to send in plays from the sideline.
◊◊◊
Alan was in all my AP classes, and I had ignored him so far. Tami must have warned him to keep his distance. I imagined that eventually, we would be friends again. I was sure Tami realized that. The three of us had too much history. But it would be a long time coming. If I could be around Mike during football, I could handle Alan as one of my coaches. That didn’t mean I was ready to hang out or play video games with him, though.
At lunch, I was on my way to our usual table when I was stopped by Brook, one of the new cheerleaders. Mona had warned me that Brook was interested in me. I chuckled because it was so like high school. So and so likes you; do you like them? Then again, it was high school.
“You’re eating lunch with me today.”
I just shrugged. Why not? I glanced over to my regular table and Mona didn’t look happy. I figured after what she did with Mike, I no longer owed her anything. Pam, Tracy, Gina, and Cassidy all had their heads together, plotting something. The guys just ignored us.
I’d started to bring my lunch this year. The cafeteria either breaded, fried, or smothered their mystery meat in gravy. Today I brought a salad with shredded chicken on it. Mom had made it, and she’d added raw broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower to the lettuce to give it some flavor and crunch.
“Are you going to eat that whole thing?” Brook asked when she saw the size of my salad container.
“Yep.”
I watched in horror as she stabbed a bite out of my salad. Brook was a food thief!
“Not bad. I think you need to bring me lunch every day. It’s better than what they serve here,” she said as she pointed at today’s offering.
I certainly did not need another girl who thought she could boss me around. I took a mouthful of my salad and took a moment to check the new girl out. Brook was what you expect a teenage cheerleader to look like: she was athletic and cute, just my type. What wasn’t going to work for me was she seemed bossy. I had a feeling she was used to getting her way.
“So, what do you want, Brook?” I asked.
“I just moved here and have been checking out the local talent.”
The way she said it made me think she was looking to get laid. With my recent string of luck, I didn’t need any more trouble, and Brook looked like trouble with a capital ‘T.’ She gave me the same vibe I got around Cora, Pam’s sister. I looked closer and noticed that she was wearing pricey clothes. Doing fashion shoots, you begin to pick up on that sort of stuff. I could tell someone who knew what they were doing cut her hair, and she also had on quality makeup. If I didn’t know what to look for, I would’ve guessed she didn’t have any on. All that told me that Brook came from money. The average teenager wouldn’t have been so well put-together.